Time for the next round of albums. Just to draw out the suspense (and because they deserve more in depth reviews), the top 10 will be done individually.
15. DIIV – Oshin
DIIV are tapping into a sound that a lot of other bands are attempting these days, only DIIV actually do it right. That sound is mixing dreampop and shoegaze with production values and themes of the 80’s. It produces some very entertaining music, and I think DIIV will be the band that takes that kind of style as far as it can go. Just try not to enjoy “How Long Have You Known”. Their next album can go in either of two directions…they take this style further and prove my theory about there being a lot more to do with shoegaze right or they rehash what they did on this album and we can all forget about them. Time will tell…
14. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Jason Pierce of Spacemen 3 fame has been making music with Spiritualized for quite some time, but it wasn’t until Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space that they found a completely unique voice. It seems that album opened the floodgates, because over the course of their next few albums Spiritualized were able to take the progressiveness of LAGWAFIS and turn it into an indie machine. Sweet Heart Sweet Light takes everything good about that album and condenses it into purely entertaining shoegaze-tinged pop rock. This will slide right into your subconscious until you can’t stop listening to it. Bands like this are why I still explore shoegaze and dreampop.
13. Grimes – Visions
Quirky electronic music and an even quirkier voice…this is one of those anomalous albums where I’m really not sure how everything works. But it does. It works really well. Grimes explores electronic music like few others…with no regard. I understand why so many electronic artists play it safe – it’s really easy to do. But with electronic music we have the potential to make sounds that have never been heard before. We can put music together in a way that we never even thought possible. Grimes clearly take that to heart, and after listening to her previous albums, she really does like to explore. I respect that and if she keep pumping out music like this, I won’t complain.
12. Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe
I randomly stuck this on when it first came out, not expecting much. After it was over I played it again. And again. Santigold combines just enough indie-isms with pop sensibility that I can’t get enough. “Disparate Youth” is one damn addicting track. I get the impression that Santigold makes music the way she wants to make music. I’ll admit I haven’t gone back to her previous albums, but if they are anything like this then I’m sure they are great, too. I look forward to seeing what else she can do.
11. Chris Cohen – Overgrown Path
I didn’t realize this guy was the guitarist for Deerhoof until after I listened to it. This is interesting, because their music sounds nothing alike and my opinion may have been different if I had known that coming into it. Where Deerhoof are quirky and disjointed, Chris Cohen’s solo material is pure throwback psychedelia. And really really good psychedelia at that. You can’t help but get lost in the music once the guitar in the first verse kicks in on “Caller No. 99” and it doesn’t let go until the end of the album. This just highlights the talent of not only Chris Cohen, but of Deerhoof as well. Those guys are great.